Your weekends with young DC

[freespirit333]

Two DC, 7 and 4.

The older one has a sports club Saturday morning so one of us will try and take the littlest for a walk to a local shop or similar.

Afternoons have mainly been at home since Christmas but the DC end up on screens too much for my liking so going to try and go to a playground tomorrow afternoon.

No sports clubs on Sundays, this weekend we are meeting up with family in the morning and again will try and get the DC out in the afternoon if it’s dry.

Feels very boring at the moment! It’s hard to just potter at home and get stuff done as the DC fight/nag to use screens.

DC are 6 and 3, we tend to do one fun day and one 'errands' day on weekends. DS1 has swimming on Saturdays and then we all have church on Sundays so we fit stuff around that.

This weekend we've got a busy Saturday, I'm meeting friends for coffee with DS2 while DH takes DS1 swimming and then we are all going to a gig for children in the afternoon.

Sunday we'll have a nice Sunday lunch after church and then catch up on the housework while the DC play/have screen time.

Mine are 6 (nearly 7) and 18 months. DD2 doesn’t nap in the buggy, so our weekends are split into a morning activity then home for lunch and her nap. It’s very hard to get them out in the afternoon as by then they’ve succumbed to screens.

Mornings we usually go to the playground or library. DD1 has just started a sports club on Saturday so that will give us a bit more structure. The last couple of months have just been really uninspiring at weekends as we’ve all been ill, I’d really like to get out more but it’s so hard!

Yes same @MotherWol , the weather has been so dreary and someone has constantly been ill since Christmas. Looking forward to the spring when it’s more appealing to plan a day out somewhere.

Mine are 8 and 4.5.

On Saturday they have swimming at 1pm, so we usually mill about at home until 12, then have a car picnic before their lessons. By the time we get home, they both have a bath and hair wash, it's usually about 3pm. In the nice weather we might go to the park, or the field to play with a Frisbee, ball etc. In the shit weather we stay at home. Sometimes we play board games (mostly DD, DS is a very sore loser at the moment), video games, do a jigsaw, PlayDoh, or the DC play one of their imagination games together. That's always nice. We have dinner at 5:30 and then just try to wind them down for bed at 7:30 for DS and 8:30 for DD.

Sunday we normally try to do something, but sometimes we just stay at home and have a lazy day. DH and I potter about doing chores, DD might have some homework, so might DS. Again, in the nicer weather we're more likely to go out, or they go out in the garden and spend time on the trampoline. In the cold weather I feel less guilt about screens. The weekends feel much longer when it's crap outside!

I have 3 between 2 and 6. Older ones do sports on Sat morning whilst me and the littlest watch. We usually have lunch at nanna's after this and then home late afternoon for pottering/playing in the house and garden and either movie or games evening. Sunday is swimming and a walk. Sometimes we go to church instead of swimming.

DCs are 4 and 1. DD1 has swimming lesson at 8.30am on Saturdays, which I take her to, and DH gets DD2 breakfast and dressed. We go out as a family in the late morning - often go to kids theatre, museum or galleries as we live in London, otherwise some indoor play area (will do parks once it's warmer). Get home around 4pm, then it's time to sort dinner, bath and bed. DD1 has a bit of screen time while we sort dinner and chores.
Sundays we all swim as a family from 9am, then DD1 has a sport, then we have lunch and do something local near the sports venue - a museum, soft play, library, music class, playground. Sometimes DD1 has a birthday party to go to. Usually stay out until 3-4pm. So we avoid too much screen time basically by staying out most of the day. I don't work so get chores and shopping done during school hours, so we can spend weekends doing fun stuff.

Staying out definitely the key to avoiding screens @Dragonflow! DS1 had a Switch for his birthday so it’s too easy for us to just let him go on that for a while on the weekend. He has clubs almost every week night and then one Saturday morning so I do feel like he needs a bit of down time as balance but I really notice the difference in behaviour when they’re both getting a bit more fresh air and exercise.

Kids are 5 and 2. DH works on a Saturday so I drag the 2 year old to DD’s ballet and music classes, and by the time we are home it’s 3.30 and I let them watch tv while I make dinner (2yo will probably have skipped nap and c grumpy). Sunday is our only day as a family so we try to arrange fun stuff - kids concerts or theatre or trip to museums etc.

Now DD is in reception there have been loads of birthday parties as well which really eats into weekend time, and v hard to manage if it’s on a Saturday and DS isn’t invited - DD not ready to be left yet and when DH is working my options are limited!

When DSs were that age, DS1 had dance on Saturday mornings (DH would be at work). So DS2 and I would go for coffee and cake whilst DS1 had his lesson. Home for lunch. Out for a walk with DH in the afternoon. Sundays were cartoons until about 10 then one of us would cook Sunday lunch whilst the other took DSs out (or ran around the garden with them). Post lunch Sunday afternoon was often lazy. Seems to work. DSs have always had a half hour a day limit on gaming…which we mainly stick to now they’re 6 and 10 (to the bafflement of DS1’s friends it appears).

Wow @DelurkingAJ yes I think you’ve done well to stick to half hour with your 10 year old especially. DS doesn’t get to play his switch every day, he doesn’t ask for it in the week but on a Wednesday I sometimes let him have about half hour. But weekends he definitely has at least an hour each day if we’re home a lot.

both children have swimming lessons on a Saturday morning, little one first then we go for a coffee then the eldest swims. Back home for a quick lunch, then ballet and Modern dance class for both children. After a hectic Saturday we just chill on Sunday morning, Sunday afternoon we do a little something, swimming, skate park, soft play or a few coppers at the arcade. The rule in our house is no TV until after 5pm I think it works really well, can you implement something like that to get your kids away from screens?

I just have the one DS who's 5.

I do find we haven't done much since Xmas at the weekends. Someone's been unwell or the weathers been bad or just low on money and inspiration!

I can't wait for spring when we can potter/play in the garden etc.

Today we're having a chilled morning at home, DS will play switch whilst I do the ironing. Then we've got a party at 12-2 then we'll go to the park near where the party is for a bit. Then home for dinner/play/bath/bed.

Tomorrow we'll be visiting grandparents for Sunday lunch.

Me and DH watched our DS at his swimming lesson, then family walk in the park. We come back home to play games then had tea.

Tomorrow me and DS go swimming together, then off to grandparents house, back home for family tea and maybe a movie.